Chart of the Day: Road Funding Sources at Different Governmental Scales

This chart is taken out of this amazing new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts, called Intergovernmental Challenges in Surface Transportation Funding. The report covers the challenges that are facing governments around road and transit construction and maintenance, paying especial attention to the shifting relationships between Federal, state and local funding streams.

For example, here are funding source ratios for different levels of government averaged across the US:

As you can see, the gas tax is crucial for Federal transportation funding. Note that this chart doesn’t reveal the different total amounts that come from these levels. Look forward to some of that information later in the week.

One Response to Chart of the Day: Road Funding Sources at Different Governmental Scales

While the gas tax (direct user fee) is crucial for Federal funding it is interesting to note that it is still only 2/3 of the funding pie. As this “Chart of the Day”™ clearly shows the highway system receives heavy subsidies. The old canard that motorists pay their own way while others rely on subsidies is laughable if not detestable as the outright deception that it is.